Probiotics are live microbial food supplements which beneficially affect the host by supporting naturally occurring gut flora, by competing harmful microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract, by assisting useful metabolic processes, and by strengthening the resistance of the host organism against toxic substances. A number of organisms is used in probiotic foods, an example being bacterial genera Lactobacillus or Bifidobacterium. Probiotic organisms should survive for the lifetime of the product, in order to be effective, and further they should survive the whole way through the gastrointestinal tract to the colon. Probiotic organisms are usually incorporated into milk products, such as yogurts. The need is felt to deliver the beneficial microorganisms in other foodstuff types, for example in baked products. However, the main problem in preparing baked health food is the processing temperature, which is usually so high (exceeding 85° C. or even 180° C.) that it nearly sterilizes the products. WO 94/00019 describes a method of preparing a baked product containing living microorganisms, comprising cooling a baked product and injecting into it a living suspension. It is an object of the present invention to provide a process for preparing a nutritionally acceptable composition comprising probiotic microorganisms, the composition being resistant to high temperatures. Another object of the invention is to provide a bakery product comprising viable bacteria in a sufficient amount.
It is a still another object of the present invention to provide a process for preparing a probiotic bakery product, without need of injecting viable microorganisms into the bakery product after the baking process.
It is a further object of the invention to provide bakery products containing live probiotic microorganisms during the whole process of baking.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide bakery products comprising heat-stabilized probiotic composition.
It is also a further object of the invention to provide probiotic bakery products exhibiting a long shelf life.
Other objects and advantages of present invention will appear as description proceeds.